1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protective device for the confinement of explosive objects and/or objects suspected of being explosive.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
When an abandoned object is discovered, especially in a public place, the precautionary course of action is to avoid touching it or displacing it and to evacuate people situated all around. Due to the risk of imminent explosion of a suspect object, an attempt is made to confine the suspect object in order to mitigate the effects of a possible explosion. Consideration may be given to covering over the suspect object with a splinter-proof protective cover or hiding the object behind a splinter-proof protective screen.
When an explosive device explodes, blast effects are propagated in all directions, generating considerable forces upon the obstacles which the blast effects encounter. Splinters are also projected in all directions. When a splinter-proof protective cover is used the protected cover is lifted up by the explosion so that it prevents the upward projection of splinters without effectively protecting a horizontal zone surrounding the explosive device or preventing the propagation of the blast effects. Moreover, an explosive device surrounded by a cover is rendered completely invisible, and so bomb disposal experts who examine the device may have certain apprehension as they free the device in order to examine it, which adds to the experts' stress. Screens only protect a single side of the explosive device. Upon the explosion, there is a risk that the screen will be blasted by the explosion and topple over backward, where it no longer fulfils its protective function.